Chap. IV. 
but badly enough the next Morning early I purfued 
my journey through the Villages of Villa Nova de RemOy 
Ambofiay and Caft^ia •, afcer Dinner I traveled on near 
San5ia i'errenay through a plain and moft delightful 
Country, abounding in Wine, Oil and Corn, and fo 
came to Paufmio, where I took up my Lodging for 
that Night •, the next Day 1 continued my Journey in 
a no lefs pleafant and delightful Country, over Campo 
de Galligongy (a delicious Plain, abounding in Corn and 
Olive-trees) through Alla nerofay Pialvay and Jandema- 
fanSy to PeruchiOy where I lay that Night, and the next 
Morning over Arujofiy Pulgay ’Tobofaly &c. getting to 
Coimbra that Night, after four Days Journey in a Horfe- 
litter, being none of the quickeft in thefe Countries. 
Before I entred the Gates of Coimbray I crofs’d the 
River over a Bridge very remarkable for its Length, as 
having no lefs than twenty nine Arches, and its being 
built upon another Bridge, which is fwallow’d up in 
the Sand, the River being fo fhallow now that ’tis fear’d 
it will in Time be quite choak*d up. On this Side of 
the Bridge Hands a Convent and a Nunnery, both 
belonging to the Francifcan Order, the firft dedicated 
to St. Bartholomewy the other to St. Clara. The City 
itfelf is computed to contain about 30,000 Souls, and 
its Situation is like moft of the great Towns of this 
(Country, upon Hills ; it has fixteen Colleges and Con- 
vents. 
The Univerjity has but two Colleges, viz. thole call’d 
St. PetePs and S. Paul^Sy adjoining to each other like 
one Building. Their Schools make no great Show, 
though they keep publick Leftures in them in all Sci- 
ences j and I was told they had a good Library. I faw 
a Fidalgo (or Gentleman’s Son) perform his Exercife 
for his Degree of Doblor in Law in the Hall, which is 
a hand fo me large Room, common to both the Colleges, 
hung about the Walls with the Pidlures of the Kings of 
Portugal. As the Number of Students here is compu- 
ted at no lefs than five thoufand, (becaufe they are ad- 
mitted as foon as they can well read, and are diftributed 
accordingly in different Clafles) fo none but the Chil- 
dren of Perfons of the beft Rank can have their Cham- 
bers in the Colleges, the reft being difpos’d in the Town 
as they beft can. 
The chief of their Convents is that of St. being 
all Noblemen, and of the Order of St. Aujiin. The 
Church belonging to this Convent is a large Structure, 
with Altars richly gilt, and adorn’d with Silver Candle- 
fticks of great Value : They preferve here many Relicks, 
but as they are very fhy of ftiewing them to Strangers, 
I obtain’d this Favour by the Alfiftance of an Irijh Fa- 
ther ; they ftiew’d me the Sword of King Alpbonfoy 
wherewith he kill’d five Moorijh Kings ; they tell you 
that King Sebaftiany when he was juft upon going to 
the Wars in Barharjy borrow’d this Sword of the Con- 
vent, and that the Sword being loft there, together 
with the King, they inftituted publick Supplications for 
the Recovery of this Sword, which was one Day found 
by a Friar upon the high Altar, as he was going to 
officiate there. But the chief Repofitory of their Re- 
licks is in a Chapel at the End of the Dormitory ; here 
they ffiew’d a golden Crofs fet with precious Stones, 
which (they fay) contains a Piece of the true Crofs, and 
ufed always to be fix’d on the royal Standard in their 
Wars againft the Moors •, half of one of the Thorns 
wherewith our Saviour’s Head was crown’d ; a Bone of 
St. Siepheny another of St. AuJHny a Finger of one of 
the Innocents flain by Herody St. Peter's Chains with 
large thick Iron Links, a Bone of St. Pauly a Leg- Bone 
of one of the eleven thoufand Virgins fent out of Eng- 
land to the Indies, to marry and encreafe the Chriftians 
there j an Arm-Bone of St. Blazius, a Bone of St. Se~ 
bajlian, the Bones of Theotonius in a Silver Cheft, the 
Bones of five Martyrs put to Death by the Moors in 
Barhary, whither they were fent to convert them to the 
Chrijiian Faith, likewife in a Silver Cheft ; a Bone of 
St. Lawrence : Moft of thefe, befides many others, were 
brought out of England immediately after the Diflblu- 
tion of the Monafteries by King Henry VIII. They 
were fo cautious in ffiewing them, and that at fuch a 
Diftance, that I could fcarce diftinguifh what they were, 
707 
which m.ade me never enquire any further about any 
fuch Things as Relicks in this Country. 
4. After a Stay of three Days I left Coimbra, taking 
my Way towards Aveyro through a pleafant Country, 
though fomewhat mountainous and rocky ; I found my 
travelling upon a Mule as tedious as in a Litter, for you 
go no fafter than your Guide, who is on Foot. Aveyrohs. 
very handfome Town, with clean and pleafantlStreets, 
govern’d by a Juftice, as are moft Country Towms 
here ; it has three Convents, of Dominicans, Carmelites, 
and the Order of St. Anthony ; and four Nunneries, of 
St. Anthony, Francifcans, Dominicans, and Carmelites i 
and four Parifh-Churches : Each of the Nunneries con- 
tains above a hundred Perfons, including Servants j 
and the whole City about fifteen or fixteen thoufand 
Souls. The Duke of Aveyro lives in Spain, under Pre- 
tence that the Family of Braganza has ufurp’d the 
Crown of Portugal, fo that his Eftate being feized up- 
on for the King’s Ufe, his Palace is beftow’d upon the 
Carmelite Nuns. The Town is fenc’d about with a 
Wall after the Moorifh Fafhion, and has great Plenty 
of good Fjffi and Fowl : The River is of fuch a Depth 
that Veflels of feventy or eighty Tun may ride fafe at 
Anchor under the Town, to which belong above four 
thoufand Boats, employed for the moft part in carry- 
ing Dung from thence into the Country, where the 
Ground is bar.f-en, and wants much more manuring 
than the Soil about Lijbon. Much Salt is alfo made 
hereabouts, which is carried into the Country, and into 
Galicia. 
From Aveyro to Porto is ten Leagues ; the firft five 
I went by Water, for taking Boat at twelve at Night, 
I came the next Morning to a little Village called 
Varr, whence I travelled the other five on Horfe, through 
a barren Country, to Porto, the River of which affords 
a fafe Harbour, being fo environ’d with Hills, as to pro- 
tecft Ships againft the Violence of any Winds •, the Ships 
may ride under the very Walls of it, which are very high, 
but at that Time the City was without a Garrifon. 
5. The City of Porto itfelf is very handfomely built, 
and the Streets neatly pav’d, though feated upon Hills, 
On the other Side of the River called Sarra, Hands 
a Convent of AuHin ' Friars, a fpacious Strudure, 
containing about forty five Brothers, who call themfeJves 
Dons : Their Dormitory I found to be two hundred 
and fifteen Paces long, and five broad. Near it is a 
Nunnery of St. Dominick. Spmewhat lower, on this Side 
of the River, at a Place called Gaia, (famous in an- 
cient Times for the Palace of the Moorijh KingsJ is 
another Convent of twenty eight Friers, of the Order 
of S. Antonio. In the Convent of the Serra they ffiew’d 
me a pair of Crutches of a lame Child, which was cu- 
red by a certain little Image of our Lady in Bajfo re- 
lievo in the fame Church : The like you fee in feveral 
other Churches, as alfo wooden Legs and Arms, nay, 
fometimes the Pictures of the Perfons pretended to 
be cur’d near the Saints Image that is faid to have 
wrought it. 
This City has four Pariffi-Churches, the Cathedral, 
which is but fmall in Comparifon of others of that 
Rank, the Church of S. Nicholas, of S. ViSioria, and 
S. Peter \ they appear’d to me richer and better gik 
than thofe of Lijbon : Seven Convents of Friars, viz. 
the Francijcansy S. John Novo, S. Eli, (drefs’d in Pur- 
ple) the Dominicans, Carmelites, Benedibiins, and the Fa- 
nograpesy an Order following the Difcipline of the Je- 
JuitSy and upon that Score in much Repute here. They 
have alfo a College of JeJuits and four Nunneries, 
viz. of S. Munchecha, S. Bento, S. Clara, and the Re- 
colletteSy an Order peculiar to this Country, and feldom 
to be met with but in Seaport Towns, being intended 
for Seamen to beftow their Wives in till their Return; 
Orphans are likewife educated here till they come to 
Years of Maturity to chufe either Marriage or a reli- 
gious Life; Widows are alfo permitted to enter into 
rhis Order afcer the Deceafe of their Husbands, pro- 
vided they vow Chaftity for the Future. The whole 
City is reckon’d to contain fifty thoufand Souls, inclu- 
ding the Suburbs, in one of which is another Pariffi- 
Church dedicated to S.Alphonfo. It is a Place of va^ 
Trade, 
through Portugal and S pa i n. 
